Ballast spreader



Jan. 22, 1952 R. KERSHAW 2,583,378

BALLAST SPREADER Filed Dec. 6, 1945 2 SHEETSSHEET l Patented Jan. 22, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BALLAST SPREADER Royce Kershaw, Montgomery, Ala.

Application December 6, 1945, Serial No. 633,220

7 Claims.- (01. 37-405) This invention is a ballast spreader and is adapted particularly for use in association with railway. track treatment to spread, evenly distribute and dress the ballast not only between the rails of the track but at the sides as well.

The primary object of the invention is to provide apparatus in connection with a suitable rail travelling car which, as the vehicle moves forward, first levels off, spreads and dresses the ballast between the rails and over the protruding ends of the tiesand then levels off, distributes and dresses the ballast for a predetermined dis tance beyond the ends of the ties.

A further and particular object of the invention is to provide vehicle borne apparatus of the character generally stated, equipped with means whereby adjustments in the elevation of the plow and side dresser wings may be readily and accurately made and whereby the plow and dresser wings may be readily elevated to avoid obstructions as the vehicle moves forwardly.

A further object of the invention is to provide a track dressing machine of the character stated having its operative parts so connected and associated with one another as to properly distribute the strains incident to its use to elements especially equipped to assume such strains.

A further object of the invention is to provide ballast distributing and dressing wings for each side of the track which are operable, either in adjustment or for elevation, independently of one another.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ballast spreader and dresser of the character generally stated which is of comparatively simple construction and operation, which may be readily attached to or mounted upon a railroad carriage or vehicle, which requires the exercise of little skill and manual attention in its operation, which is of rigid and durable construction, which has its several parts so constructed and coordinated as to minimize the opportunity forwear, breakage or derangement, and which will prove highly practical andefficient in its operation.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a ballast spreader constructed in accordance with the invention, Fig; '2 is a-side'elevation thereof,

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view illustrating the manner of mounting the side dresser wings, and

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the plow mechanism per se.

Generally stated, the invention resides in astructure including a plow and side wings properly mounted and braced upon a vehicle adapted to travel over the trackway to be dressed. The plow is arranged at the forward end of the vehicle while the side dressing wings are disposed at the sides of the vehicle and project outwardly proper distances beyond the ends of the ties. The dresser wings are to the rear of the plow, and as the vehicle advances the plow levels, smoothes out and evenly distributes the ballast between the rails as well as immediately adjacent thereto beyond the rails, and the surplus ballast passes laterally beyond the sides of the plow and into the path of the oncoming dresser wings to be smoothed and inclined in accordance with the angle of the blades. The plow and the side dressers are all pivoted to the supporting vehicle so that they may be readily elevated, either together or individually, to clear obstructions which might be encountered as the car advances. The improved structure includes means whereby these lifting operations may be adequately and effectively carried out in a simple manner, as well as means whereby the plow and side dressers may be accurately adjusted to determine the elevation of the ballast as well as its inclination beyond the ends of the ties.

More particularly, the improved dresser includes a frame having longitudinal sills in the form of channel irons It rigidly connected by lateral channel irons ll properly braced to provide a rigid structure forming a part of or to be mounted upon a car or other vehicle of a desired type and construction, and to the forward ends of which are secured plates l3 carrying bearing members 84 to accommodate shaft [5 disposed transversely of the track and preferably of a length greater than the distance between the track. rails.

The plow is indicated generally at 16, and in cludes moldboards ll secured together at their -adjacent ends in substantially V-shape relation. These moldboards are properly curved from botouter ends project a slight distance beyond the ends of the cross ties. The plow is rigidly reenforced by struts as shown, in order that the strains and pressures to which it will be subjected in operation may be withstood without breaking or distorting the plow. The plow is also equipped with arms [9 rigidly secured at their forward ends in spaced relation to the plow and at their rear ends to the rock shaft l5. The arrangement is such that theplow as a unit hinges in the bearings" ll.

The Supporting structure includes a superstructure including posts 20 arranged in up standing relation at the forward and rear ends-ofthe supporting structure. These posts are connected together by cross members 21* and angle struts as well as a longitudinal tie rod 21 to insure stability in the structure. At the top and at the forward end of the superstructure is awind-- lass including a drum 22 mounted in suitable bearings? as shown and operatedin anyapproved manner," a hand crank 23* beingutilized in. the present instance. The drum ZZ-isdisposedain tht: median line ofv the structure and has secured thereto one end of a lift cable 24, passing over a sheave25secured to' the forward end of the plow and having its opposite end attached to? the superstructure: This arrangement isfsuchthat operation of thewinchiorWindlass will:cause the plow to be elevated or lowered dependingv upon the direction of?rotat"ion':of' the drum;

The dresseisfor ballastat opposite sides of the track are identical in const'ruction anda descrip tion of one will sufiice for both; Th'eside dresser includes a frame preferably formed' of channel barsrigidly secured'tbgether and properly braced as shown, including inner and outer bars 2T and 2B These bars are disposed parallel'tothe track, and the innerbar 21 has rigidly secured thereto spaced bracket arms 291 the upper ends of which 1 are apertured to receive hinge'pinstll' to connect the bracket arms to the'lower' ends-of vertically disposed links 31' carried by the-supporting'structure. The links near their upper ends are provided' with a longitudinal series of openings 32-, into any one of which a supporting'pin 33 may be extended to secure the link within supporting brackets 34 rigidly attached to a cross sill H of the supporting structure. The lower portion of each link is equipped with a longitudinally disposed slot 35'forthe' accommodationof' a securing pin 35 carried by a laterally disposed angle bar 31 rigidly connected tothe supporting structure as shown.

The side dresser frame is equipped with a pair of dresser blades indicated at 38 and 39. These blades are rigidly secured within the frame and between the bars or'plates 21-48 in spaced relationship. The lower'or scraping edges of these blades differ in their angularity as well as their depth. The forward blade 38 has its lower edge disposed horizontaly near its inner end as at 40 and for such distance as' it overlies the end of the cross tie", from whence it extends in a downward direction and outwardly to the channel bar 28 to which the opposite end is rigidly secured. The trailer or final blade 39 corresponds at its inner end to the forward blade but the angularity as,

way as shown and their particular angularity with respect to the ground surface will be. determined at the time the blades are assembled in the frame.

The forward end of the longitudinal channel bar 28 is equipped with a deflector plate or share 4 l, rigidly secured and braced to the said channel bar and projecting outwardly and forwardly therefrom.

By this arrangement, such ballast as is thrown laterally by the plow as the vehicle advances along the track, will be deposited in the path of the oncomin blades 3839 of the dresser wings. The inclination of the operative edges. of the dresser blades correspondsto the desired angularity of the ballast at the track sides. The first or advancing blade is relatively shallow near its outer end, while the follower blade extends further down near its outer edge to true the ballast during the advancing movement of the vehicle. The deflector plate 4| serves to retrieve such ballast as may have passed beyond the path of'the dresser blades.

To absorb the strain to which the dresser wings must necessarily be subjected: in= leveling the ballast'at the'track sides, each-ofthe dresser wing framesisprovided with forwardly project-.- ing struts 42. Thesestruts are permanently connected at their forward ends to bearingmembers 43- carried by the shaft [5, and the rearends of these struts are detachably. engaged in. U'bolts or eyes 44 rigidly secured in spaced relation to the forward end of the dresser wing'frame. Each strut rod is equipped with a turn buckle 45-in'order that adjustments may be made and-a rigid strut may be obtained.

Mounted at the top of. thezsuperstructure, and at each side thereof, is a hand or power winch inculdinga drum 4G, tonne-end of which a lift cable 4'! is secured; the said cable passing over a sheave 48 rigidly secured to the outer bar 28' of the dresser wing, after which'the'opposite end of the cable is firmly attachedas at 49 to-the superstructure.

In operation, it will' be understood that the loose ballast for the track is usually deposited by hopper bottom cars. most of which ballast is dropped between the rails of the track and in greater quantity than is required in such location. The improved track dresser, after the plow and side dressers have first been adjusted to the proper or desired degree, is pushed along the track, the plow leveling offthe ballast and diverting the surplus to the sides of the track-way and into thepath of the oncoming or following side dresser blades. These blades, operatingsuccessively upon the ballast, level; off the latter to struts 42 to the shaft l'5': at the forward; end of the supporting structure which is mounted. in such manner as to absorb such strains.

When obstacles are to be encountered; such, for instance, as switches or cross-overs, the struts 42 are detached from the dresser wing frames, the Windlass drum Z2 is operated to'draw upwardly upon the plow, and the drums 4B are similarly operated to: raise the dresser wing frames. In instances. when, the vehicle is travelling and not in operation, the plow and: the side dresser wings will. be maintained in raised or upright. positions...

The mounting of the dresser wings'upon' the members 3| permits of liberal adjustment both vertically as well as laterally, whereby an accurate elevation of the side dresser wings may be properly determined.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a ballast plow and track dresser which will effectively perform the functions for which it is adapted, which has its several parts so assembled that the strains and pressures are equally distributed throughout a number of supporting elements, which is simple in its several operations and by the use of which the ballast distributing and dressing operations are quickly and efficiently carried out with a minimum of manual effort.

I claim:

1. A ballast spreader comprising a supporting structure, links mounted for vertical and horizontal adjustment at a side of said supportin structure, a dresser wing, a pivotal connection between said dresser wing and the lower ends of said links, and means for rocking said dresser wing upon said pivots.

2. A ballast spreader comprising a supporting structure, a pair of links each having a longitudinal series of openings near their upper ends, pins to connect said links to said supporting structure in any one of said openings, a bar on said supporting structure below said pin connection and disposed adjacent to the lower ends of said links, said links each having a longitudinal slot near the lower end thereof, said bar having a horizontal series of openings therein, pins to connect through any of said openings and the slot of the adjacent link, and a dresser wing pivotally connected to the lower ends of said links.

3. A ballast spreader comprising a supporting structure, a dresser wing comprising spaced parallel bars, dresser blades disposed transversely of said wing and connected at their ends to said bars, the operative edges of said blades disposed at different angles to one another, pivots connecting said dresser wing to said supporting structure, and means for moving said dresser wing upon said pivots.

4. In apparatus for operating upon ballast adjacent the ends of the cross ties of a railroad track, a pair of spaced apart vertical plates extending parallel to the rails of the railroad track, forward and rear ballast blades fixedly mounted at each end to the plates, said blades each having a horizontally disposed lower edge portion on the ends nearest the rail and a downwardly sloping lower edge portion extending outwardly from the horizontal portion, means mounting the blades in in-swept position relative to the longitudinal center line of the railroad track and with the sloping lower edge portion of the forward blade above the working level of the corresponding portion of the .rear blade, and means to support the apparatus and move the same along a railroad track with the horizontal lower edge portion of the blades disposed over the ends of the cross ties.

5. In apparatus for operating upon ballast adjacent the ends of the cross ties of a railroad track, a pair of vertical spaced apart ballast retaining bars extending parallel to the rails of the railroad track, one of said bars being disposed over the cross ties near the ends thereof and the other thereof being disposed outwardly of the ends of the cros ties, forward and rear ballast blades mounted between the bars, said blades each embodying a backwardly inclined plate with the front side thereof lying at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal center line of the railroad track thereby to lift ballast and move it toward the ends of the cross ties, lower edges on the plates comprising a relatively short horizontal portion overlying the ends of the cross ties and a downwardly sloping portion disposed outwardly of the ends of the cross ties, the lower outwardly disposed edge portion of the forward blade lying above the level of the corresponding edge portion of the rear blade, and means to support the apparatus and move it along a railroad track.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which the forward end of the bar outwardly of the cross ties is provided with an outwardly disposed deflector plate adapted to draw ballast between the bars and hence into the path of the blades.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 in which the means to move and support the apparatus embodies a pivotal connection between the supporting means and the side of the apparatus nearest the rail of the track, and a flexible member secured to the supp'orting means and to the side of the ballast apparatus farthest from the rail and supporting the last named side.

ROYCE KERSHAW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 707,649 Scott Aug. 26, 1902 866,919 Cross Sept. 24, 1907 963,773 Jordan July 12, 1910 1,191,756 Baker July 18, 1916 1,445,608 Ursino Feb. 13, 1923 1,718,550 Ferris et a1 June 25, 1929 1,777,588 Tellis Oct. 7, 1930 1,777,589 Tellis Oct. 7, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 580,106 France Aug. 21, 1924 

